ATS It's all or Nothing!

I see this on a daily basis here at ATS. Take your favorite geopolitical arena and any given relevant recent headline. Which side are you on? Do you
have a side? Do you favor one side over the other? Could you separate yourself from your preconceptions enough to discuss the situation in a fair,
balanced and unbiased manner? Could you be wrong? Can you concede certain facts even when and if they fly in the face or your perceived Paradigm? Do I
make assumptions about other posters?

Those are some questions I ask myself before I jump into a topic.
[I'm not always successful]

I see this on a daily basis here at ATS. Take your favorite geopolitical arena and any given relevant recent headline. Which side are you on? Do you
have a side? Do you favor one side over the other? Could you separate yourself from your preconceptions enough to discuss the situation in a fair,
balanced and unbiased manner? Could you be wrong? Can you concede certain facts even when and if they fly in the face or your perceived Paradigm?

Those are some questions I ask myself before I jump into a topic.
[I'm not always successful]

Are you?

edit on 22-1-2012 by SLAYER69 because: (no reason given)

Great topic!

I'm never successful ha ha! Apparently, I'm on my own side in the geopolitical arena. I'd like an opportunity to cast a ballot that has a
'no-confidence' option next to each name, but that's just me, I guess. I can be wrong, but I doubt it. Truth only hurts until the pain goes away.
And until we can vote no-confidence, we are going to be in a world of hurt...

I have noticed that the majority of members who are guilty of this are also the ones accusing other members of doing it, kind of like that warmonger
thread where all the warmongers were giving each other back scratches.

I agree though, people should take a look around and think before they post.

Sometimes, I get too caught up in the emotional side of posting to a particular thread. I know posing in haste will not accomplish anything with the
object of my post, nor will it add to the overall content of the original topic. And, it's on posts like these, I run a 50/50 chance of having my
post pulled by a MOD, for T&C violations.

Does that stop me? Sometimes not. I win nothing for my short sightedness. Not even a good feeling about myself.

After I have maybe multiple posts removed from a thread I've been emotional posting in, I have to log off, give myself a timeout, to reflect on why I
did what I would, and have, told other posters not to do.

Over time, I've learned there are some members, it's best if I do not even read their threads. I know from past experience, we don't, and won't
ever see each other on a level playing field.

Nothing in this world is static and, because of that, holding tight to personal convictions is tantamount to dogmatism. Luddites love things that
don't change even though everything around those things are in a constant flux.

It seems that in many cases, those who most proclaim themselves to be open-minded are in fact, the opposite.

Appearances can be deceiving.

I have to wonder: are those who seem to be consistently one-sided simply passionate about their belief and unable to accept that there are many sides
to a story?

Or, are they acting as instigators because being a cyber-tough-guy is a thrill?

Why do opinions on a topic change one day to the next?

There are as many reasons as there are people. Why try to psychoanalyze 'net personalities?
How does that work when you don't really know someone? Chasing tails, most of the time.

I think that posting according to personal philosophy with a willingness to ask questions to try to understand another point of view is probably the
most direct and honest but, not everyone will agree with me. Such is life..

1. He who can argue both (sides) is most informed
2. There is only one truth to any given question, what one may assume to be the truth may not in fact be so; in such a situation it is good to adjust
yourself accordingly.
3. Speak unto others as I would have them speak unto me.

I think most ATS members can be and generally are critical thinkers who can separate themselves from the issues. That's why you will see some
of them (including me) bashing a certain topic one day, and then supporting it the next.

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